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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Our May travel brought us to Berlin. We couldn't miss a chance to visit nearby Potsdam with its famous Sanssouci Park. The Sanssouci palace was built as the summer residence of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. The palace is considered to be the major work of Rococo architecture in Germany.

The palace was closed for visitors on Monday so we didn't see its interior. There was still a lot to see.

They say that the palace was built as a private residence where the King could relax and take a break from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court.

The palace was built above a terraced vineyard in accordance with the King's ideas and sketches.

I loved this grand grape arbor!

The countryside behind the park could be seen from the palace windows.

Pure delight!

One of the structures in the park, the Neptune Grotto, is all covered by a seashell mosaic. Amazing!

Wonderful, isn't it?

Bright flowers were not abundant at the particular time when we visited the place. But sometimes less is more. Every time we saw them, it was like a burst of color in the midst of green serenity.

The Church of Peace:

I love the geometry in the gardens and surrounding areas. Rows of columns always hypnotise me.

The Marly Gardens with their simple charming flowers are lovely:

Isn't it interesting to see the same colors on the pictures above and below: yellow and purple.

Serene and peaceful. Looking at this meadow picture, I would never guess that luxury and grandeur are not far away.

The huge trees were one of my favorite parts. They were beautiful, but their size was very impressive too!

The oriental style Chinese Teahouse built in 1756 is currently home for a collection of porcelain.

One more palace in the Sanssouci park,
the Orangery Palace:

It was built by Friedrich Wilheim IV, known as the Romantic on the Throne, in his seat at Potsdam from 1851 to 1864.

Giant palm trees are being moved from the Orangery:

Below is the New Palace also located in Sanssouci park. This is what I meant when I mentioned luxury and grandeur.

It was added later to the grounds of the park. This baroque jem is very impressive! It was commissioned by King Frederick the Great after the 7 Year's War, which solidified Prussia's status as a powerful nation. For a powerful nation - a grand palace! What a contrast with the intimate Sanssouci Palace!

The 2-story New Palace (Neues Palais) contains more than 200 lavishly decorated rooms. The large dome sits on the top of the central ballroom.

I spent several minutes on a bench just admiring the gorgeous baroque buildings.

Did you notice the perfect blue sky? An excellent backdrop for pink buildings, isn't it?

I am always attracted to lights. I already have a collection of light pictures. This one will be a special gem in my collection!

We went through this palace and saw its famous Grotto Hall which contains 20,000 different minerals, fossils, stones and cast iron products.

If the Sanssouci Palace was created for privacy and relaxation, the New Palace was supposed to demonstrate the power and glory of Prussia. Royals and dignitaries who were invited here were exposed to splendor, grandness and magnificence.

Next to the Neues Palais is the Communs building. Looking at it, could anyone guess that it contained the servants and guards' quarters and the palace kitchens? It's decorated in the same style as the palace! I wonder if students at the University of Potsdam feel special using this historic place.

I wrote before that I didn't see so many lawn mowers in Germany as we see here in the U.S. But, this is one of them:

If you travel to Berlin, I would recommend a visit to Sanssouci. It's a wonderful place with beautiful architecture, pathways, fountains, statuary, trees and flowers.

Thanks so much for a fabulous virtual tour. We hope to visit there one day but it's a long way off in the future at this point. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every picture and your explanations. Thanks for taking the time to share it with all of us!